Our 50th

Yesterday was our fiftieth wedding anniversary. Our whole family came home to celebrate with us. It was a wonderful day together. I received this tile from my wife for our twenty-fifth anniversary. This year I wrapped it up and gave it back to her. A reminder of the fifty years we have spent together.  Like our relationship, it has been cracked, but not broken. Now it is cemented together and stronger than ever

Happy Anniversary, my love…
Fifty years have flown by;
Through the years one thing remains; our vow of commitment to stay together for better and for worse.
We enjoyed many great years together with our family and our church. Our faith brought us through the Valley of the Shadow of death and out the other side.
We love our wonderful children and grandchildren. We pray that each one will use the values and principals we have taught them to find their own way.
I love you as much today as I did when we said our vows fifty years ago. Our love has grown and changed over the years, but I believe the love that brought us together was God ordained and he has seen us through.
Happy Anniversary my dear…
I love you with all my heart. I look forward to our next 50 years together.
December 27, 1969 – 2019

Photo: Dwight Roth

 

Finding Meaning in Life

The meaning of life lies not in the things we have
Nor what we may have accomplished;
But rather, in the life we are living each day.
Friends who care and share themselves with us
Make life a joy knowing they are there.
When we see the laughter in our children’s eyes
Feeling their love and enjoying their hugs.
The joy of sun on our face, the wind in our hair;
Mud squishing between our toes;
Listening to the birds singing their songs;
The chirp of the wren, the cooing of the doves,
Lovingly protecting one another…
Reminding us the touch of a hand and a loving voice
Bring meaning each day to our fast paced life.
Finding meaning in life lies not in the things we have;
But in those we love and those we serve.
The rest is just icing on the cake.

Photo: Dwight L. Roth

Two Falling Stars

Two falling stars in a universe of billions
Sometimes clashing like two knives cutting
Bleeding rightness // then finding we are wrong
Seeking forgiveness //pledging to get along
Entangled in the night like the roots of a tree
Holding on to the foundation that keeps us free
We are two bodies // waves of ebb and flow
In an ocean of night, as days come and go
Age brings with it // fossils // embedded in stone
Looking back with nostalgia as the sun sets all alone
We are pieces of the universe on collision course
When two falling stars embedded with great force
Forever lie together in the dust of the earth

Today at d’Verse we are looking at international poetry. It is easy for poetry intent to get lost in translation.  Lara gave us poems from three different international poets and asked us to pick one that inspired us and write it in our own perspective. I chose, Two Bodies, by the Mexican poet Octavio Paz.  You can read the original version below:

Octavio Paz (1914-1998) – Another Spanish speaker and more recent Nobel prize winner. Born in Mexico, he was a political activist, ambassador and essayist so that much of his poetry reads like prose poems, “written within the perpetual motion and transparencies of the eternal present tense.” 
Two Bodies
Two bodies face to face
are at times two waves
and night is an ocean.

Two bodies face to face
are at times two stones
and night a desert.
Two bodies face to face
are at times two roots
laced into night.
Two bodies face to face
are at times two knives
and night strikes sparks.
Two bodies face to face
are two stars falling
in an empty sky.

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Painting: Dwight L. Roth

Join us at: https://dversepoets.com

Sweet Friendship

Remember the days when just being close to a girl/guy

Made the day a little brighter and smiles a little bigger?

Fun days when carefree spirits shared the swing

Then took off to look for another adventure in the woods.

Oh for the days of youth // when life was a lightness of being;

Formative times of learning about life and love and relationships

Laying the foundation for future responsibilities

and more permanent bonds of commitment.

Photo: Dwight L. Roth

Faith

Faith

My faith in God is not something to be proved. Rather it is something to be believed and lived. Faith is a belief about truth, with a little experience that helps reinforce it. I have found faith to be rather elusive at times in my life.

When all is well faith comes easy, but when “life happened”, as it does to all of us, it threw me for a loop! I was spiraling downward fast with no answers in sight.  My prayers went unanswered. Things seemed out of control. There was no way I could fix things. The only thing I had left was faith that God was in control, and things would work out for my good. Even then I had my doubts. I was frustrated and angry.

Through it all, I found prayer was what I needed to change me, not others. In time, and with help from some good counselors, life finally got back on track. I learned a lot about myself and about God. It definitely changed my understanding of faith. A lot of what I thought was faith was mostly culture and religion, but my belief in God and his eternal providence and grace is still strong.

Burning through blackness

Spring sun rises // Dark is light

Grace for the graceless

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Mish asked us to write a Haibun about some aspect of faith. It has to be written from our experience.  A Haibun has a concise prose segment followed by a  seasonal haiku. Come join us at d’verse.

https://dversepoets.com/

 

Shadow of Death

Shadow of Death
I will climb mountains with you
Celebrate birthdays and anniversaries too
Cry over the birth of our children…
And morn over the loss of our parents
But // am I willing to walk with you…
“Through the Valley of the Shadow of Death?”
*
I will struggle to make ends meet
Sacrifice myself so you can get ahead
Take the kids to ball games // cheer them on
And, kiss boo boos when knees are skinned
But // am I willing to walk with you…
“Through the Valley of the Shadow of Death?”
*
Can we survive the death of a child
When cancer takes its toll
Survive the blinding demons of depression
When you no longer want to live at all
Will I be willing to walk with you…*
“Through the Valley of the Shadow of Death?”

When we have faced financial loss
And all we worked for goes down the drain
When infidelity and insecurity plague our life
And forgiveness seems the last thing on the brain
Will you walk with me…
“Through the Valley of the Shadow of Death?”
*
Relationships are tough // not all fun and games
We are guaranteed to have heartaches and pain
But // if we choose to be committed //for the rest of our life…
“Till death do us part” // as husband and wife…
We will walk together… We will always be there…
“Through the Valley of the Shadow of Death!

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Photo of Stain Glass Window at Weddington United Methodist Church – Dwight L. Roth

 

 

Coffee & Love

Coffee and Love

As I take one last sip

Of morning coffee,

I think,

how similar

it is

to romantic love.

Steaming Hot!!

Enough to get burned

at the start.

Warm enough to enjoy

with added shots of Hot

Inspiration.

Cooling down to tepid

when left set

too long unattended.

Heat and flavor’s gone…

Nothing left in the pot…

Throw out

What remains.

Perhaps brew a new pot…

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Clipart: dreamstime.com

 

I Married a Cat… She Married a Dog!

When two people  commit themselves to a lifetime together, rather shocking personality traits begin to show up. We have all heard that opposites attract and I have found this to be true in my own marriage. But to me a better description is to see it in animal images. This poem describes the differences in our personalities. These differences present a lot of challenges in our life. Understanding these differences helps us overcome and survive these challenges.

I Married a Cat… She Married a Dog

I married a cat

Sleek and beautiful

Strong and independent

Yet likes to come and be close when

She is ready and feeling loved

Claiming the house as her space

Demanding attention when things get neglected

Purring when things go right

Scratching when things go wrong

Loving and caring and always there

I married a cat

She married a dog

A co-dependent creature

Full of noise and excitement

Always barking about something

Demanding attention

Not to be denied

Protective and possessive

Tail wagging and drooling for love

Always wanting more

Assuming and thoughtless

Taking everything for granted

Leaving sheadings everywhere he goes

Always there when things get tough

Full of love and compassion

A wife’s best friend

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Photos: Dwight L. Roth

Reposted from a year ago…

 

 

Know the Storms will Come

Know that Storms Will Come

Young and invincible I heard the tales

Of mid-life crisis and relationship dips

Never thought it would happen to me

Must be talking about someone else

As time went on and kids left home

The nest was empty for the first time

Work and stress and baggage compressed

Came out of the closet to haunt us

Know that storms of life are sure to happen

No matter how strong are the pilings

Tsunami waves and hurricane winds

Pound every foundation and structure

Relationships dip some crash and burn

Depends on pilings and a willingness to learn

Can Humpty Dumpty be put together again

It’s up to you to decide

When storms come as you know they will

Is it easier to relearn on a new unknown model

Or overhaul the relationship you already have

We kept the one we already had!

Photos: Dwight L. Roth

 

 

 

 

Blood Red Beauty

 

Blood Red Beauty

Blood red petals floating fragile in the wind

Relationships intertwined yet ephemeral

Young and energetic shining moments

Splendid beauty in a garden of flowers

One by one the petals fall

Old relationships mature move on

New colors emerge as old ones die

Relationships are strong

Be they short or long

Bleeding blood red for all to see

Their shining day in the sun

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Photo: Dwight L. Roth